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Monday, June 27, 2016

The Grandfather List of Children’s Picturebooks (FAQ with Sage Merriman, Part 1)

By Sage Merriman

Q: What Exactly Will This Grandfather’s List of Children’s Picturebooks Be... And How Will It Work?

It will be an evolving list of the best children’s books I can find, starting with picturebooks. In the narrowest, personal sense, I’ll want to buy our new grandson between 1-2 children’s books per month for several years, tapering off only when he loses interest. I need to know what to buy in roughly what order. But my intention in blogging about this is to avoid the narrow approach.

I want to broaden the concept and produce a list that is useful as a reference tool for others, particularly grandparents, but all others who hope to be significant reading-benefactors to children.

I also hope to benefit from advice from readers of this blog. You may have ideas about what belongs on The Grandfather List - based on your experience in sharing books with children. I hope you will suggest worthy titles for consideration.I see The Grandfather List as having the sort of “permeable membranes” that can yield a concentration of great children’s books, beginning with picturebooks, that are of universal interest and merit.The list will be grouped initially by age (as a surrogate for developmental ability) so that users can use it as a guide through time in finding and sharing some of the best of children’s literature.

Q: When will The Grandfather List of Children’s Picture Books Be Ready?

Because it will be an “evolving list,” the question is probably: “When will it begin to acquire critical mass?”I think the first signs of critical mass in a blog-published list will be in January 2017. We will see how it goes, but I’d like to have an initial list of 30-50 children’s picturebooks selected by that time.

Q: Is there an interim step or will the list be initially published “all at once”?

There will be many interim steps. Indeed, I hope to make this an iterative and open process.I plan to announce the selection of individual books as they are added to the developing Grandfather List.Before that time, I will be announcing “candidates” for the list as they survive my initial screening. These will be worthy books in my judgment. Most of them won’t make the final list, however. I will have read several children’s picturebooks for each book that becomes a candidate. More, I’m sure, on these and related matters... soon....